A little bit of the old Alex Burrows could return in new Senators season

The Senators will need an additional jolt of testiness to come from somewhere. Burrows, 36, who will likely see time at both left and right wing, could provide some of it. So, too, could the feisty Max McCormick, who has spent the opening two days of training camp on a line with Nate Thompson and Tom Pyatt, a potential fourth-line unit.

Alex Burrows was reasonably satisfied with what he brought to the Ottawa Senators following last season’s trade from the Vancouver Canucks.

Yet the hard bite from the one-time National Hockey League bad dog was noticeably missing.

If Burrows once carried the reputation for being a persistent pest, the guy who crossed a line or two or five in the name of unsettling opponents, he didn’t display that nasty side during the Senators extended run to the Eastern Conference final.

The way Senators head coach Guy Boucher talked Saturday, though, that edge should reappear at select moments this season.

“We’re definitely going to see all of him at different parts of the games, at different parts of the season. We absolutely need that out of our group,” Boucher said following Day 2 of training camp.

“There is probably a just middle for him to feel it. We have had that discussion together, how he can do some of that. Over a long period of time, when you become a veteran, you focus on other things. Sometimes you need it, sometimes you don’t.”

Boucher suggested the quieter, gentler Burrows of last spring was the result of him being wary of taking penalties, of wanting to establish himself as a reliable two-way player who wouldn’t put his team in trouble.

The Senators’ forward ranks will look different this season, though. As much as the game has changed and fighting has declined, the Senators will be without Chris Neil for the first time since 2001.

The Senators will need an additional jolt of testiness from someone. The 36-year-old Burrows, who will likely see time at both left and right wing, could provide some of it. So, too, could the feisty Max McCormick, who has so far in camp has skated on a potential fourth-line unit with Nate Thompson and Tom Pyatt.

“I want to help in any way I can,” said Burrows, who scored six goals and five assists in 20 regular-season games and added five assists in 15 playoff games before being sidelined with a high ankle sprain in the conference final against the Pittsburgh Penguins. “Wherever the coaching staff feels I can help, I’m willing to do.”

Boucher will rely on Burrows to be a bigger leader inside the dressing room, especially if Clarke MacArthur is unable to return.

“He’s one of those guys who could be a future coach,” Boucher said. “He understands things before other guys do. He gets the big picture. It hurt us not to have him at the end (of the playoffs). He has gigantic impact on the team.”

It’s no coincidence that Burrows has skated beside rookie centre Colin White to start camp. Chris VandeVelde served as a left-winger on that line Saturday, after Ryan Dzingel injured a groin on Friday.

The Senators hope that mix of experience and youth will develop into something special. If Derick Brassard isn’t ready to return from his shoulder surgery by the opening of the regular season on Oct. 5, White has the inside track on that spot at centre.

“He’s a really good player, really smart,” Burrows said. “We’ve only played two scrimmages and we’re going to keep working on our game and try to get some chemistry going. Hopefully, it pays off for the start of the year.”

In Boucher’s perfect world, his lineup would be littered with 30-somethings who don’t need on the job training, but he doesn’t have that luxury, given the limits of the NHL salary-cap system and the Senators’ internal budget.

Players like Burrows, according to Boucher, are invaluable because they help younger players develop faster.

Burrows said he was also feeling more at ease and better adjusted following the whirlwind of the late-season trade.

“It’s always easier to start a new year with a group you are familiar with,” he said. “Last year, there were some challenges. I didn’t know the system. I didn’t know what to expect at this side of the country. The family was back home (in Vancouver) and I was away from them for three months. There were a lot of things I couldn’t really control.”

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.